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My World Tuesday = Bellingrath Gardens 1982 and 2011

My World Tuesday = Bellingrath Gardens

Bellingrath House and Gardens

First Tour July 1982

Second Tour March 2011

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Sometimes it is fun to return to a tourist site that you had visited long ago. In the summer of 1982 Jack and I with our two young daughters were fortunate to be able to spend two weeks in New Orleans while Jack was on a trip for the federal government. Jack took leave from his job coming and going to New Orleans. I remember that we took four days to get to Jack's job in New Orleans and that on the way we made several tourist stops.

One that we have always had very fond memories of was our stop in Theodore, Alabama to tour Bellingrath House and Gardens. In the photo above and the first five below you will see how Bellingrath looked in 1982. In the last series of photos you will see how Bellingrath looked in 2011.

This home was built after the gardens were created so the gardens have always been the main focal point. But my how the trees, shrubs and perennial plants have grown and multiplied in thirty years time. If the house was nestled in the landscaped in 1982, then it is almost hidden by the landscape in 2011.

Bellingrath House and Gardens

July 1982

Jeanine and Jack climbing the stairs from the lake garden.

Jeanine touching the Rebecca At The Well monument in the garden.

Yours truly standing by one of the early water features of the garden.

Jack helping the girls cool off in the Japanese garden.

Jack and the girls cooling their heels in the koi pond.

Bellingrath House and Gardens

March 2011

A French Colonial Style House Surrounded By Trees, Flowers, and Bayous

Take A Look Below

Jack discovered the azealeas now were taller than he.

People were still enjoying the old water features.

This path still led to a dock where you could pay to ride a boat on the bayou.

The camillas were in bloom in March but not in July.

They look pretty like a rose but they don't smell like a rose.

They hardly smell at all.

Spring flowers were in bloom now.

I like blue flowers.

The former carriage house still had the world's largest display of Boehm

porcelain wildlife figures and china plates.

Here's more Boehm porcelain on display.

These are porcelain Boehm birds.

I thought of Old Man Lincoln of Brookville, Ohio when I took this photo of the birds.

Abe Lincoln is quite a bird photographer.

Jack admired the terrace gardens near the house.

I enjoyed taking a sunny break on the old and highly decorative wrought iron furniture.

These flowerpots leading to the house had red dianthus in bloom

and Easter lilies about to bloom.

This view of the house was as pretty as ever.

This small personal catholic chapel was not open to the public in 1982.

The grand lawn was still grand and still in bloom.

Here is another view of the grand lawn.

Pink azealeas bordered parts of the edge of the bayou.

Here's a view of the bayou walkway.

This is the same water feature that I stood by in 1982.

Japanese wisteria was in bloom in March.

The water fountain was still bubbling.

Here's where Jeanine touched the Rebecca At The Well monument in 1982.

I enjoyed this red archway in the Japanese garden.

I don't remember seeing that in 1982.

I don't remember this grove of bamboo in 1982 either.

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Well, like I stated at the beginning of this blog it sometimes is fun to visit a tourist site that you visited long ago. Thank you for visiting my blog. Now please go visit some other My World Tuesday memes by clicking on the My World Tuesday sign up on the right hand side of this blog.

My World Tuesday = Old, Old Slides

My World Tuesday = Old, Old Slides

Continuation of Jack's 1973 Tour of Portugal and Spain

All the slides here are of two cities in Spain: Madrid and Barcelona

Horseman Monument in Front of Building at Plaza Mayor

in Madrid, Spain

Cervantes Monument in Madrid, Spain

This monument celebrates the writing of Miguel de Cervantes who wrote the first modern novel, Don Quixote which was a satire on the romance of chivalry. The great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky declared Don Quixote "the ultimate and most sublime work of human thinking." At the monument you can see the figures of the two main characters in Don Quixote: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain

Army Auditors in Spanish Plaza

Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree in Madrid, Spain

These Old Slides Are From Jack's Trip To Spain in 1973

Spanish Anchor in Front of Almudena Cathedral in Madrid

Pope Leo XIII commissioned in 1884 the construction of this cathedral for the new diocese of Madrid that he declared would be a separate diocese from the larger diocese of Toledo, Spain. Jack and his buddies toured this cathedral back in 1973 when it was still under construction. The Spanish Civil War in the 1930's interrupted the construction. The construction finally ended in 1993 and Pope John-Paul consecrated the cathedral in that year.

Lake and Monument at El Retiro Park in Madrid

The Horseman Monument to King Alfonso XII

Fountain Plaza In Old Madrid

Jack and his Army Audit Buddy James Blakeslee

Fall 1973

Jack Feeding the Pigeons at Fountain Plaza

Spanish Fisherwomen and Customers by Waterfront in Barcelona, Spain

The American Tour Group From Germany

Visiting a Catholic Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain

Well folks, that is my tour of Spain from long ago. If you would like to see the beginning of this trip to Spain and Portugal just cruise on down past my newsflash about flooding in the Ohio valley today to the next blog entry which has old slides of

the beautiful city of Lisbon, Portugal.

If you don't have time, then just click on the My World sign at the right to visit other My World memes around the world. Thank you for visiting my blog and hope you have a great start to the month of March. Just think of this. The northern hemisphere around the world is now in meteorological spring! Thank goodness!

My World Tuesday = Old, Old Slides

My World Tuesday = Old, Old Slides

Portugal

Jack and several other army auditors took an American Express guided tour from Germany by plane and bus to Portugal and Spain way back in 1973. The photos in this blog post are of Lisbon, Portugal which Jack thought was his favorite city on this trip. In the photo above that Jack took you can see the harbor of Lisbon. In the distance on the far right is a vertical. I asked Jack what that was since I've never been to either Portugal or Spain. He told me that that is a famous statue of Jesus Christ on a hill overlooking the bay. Christ is guarding the harbor and the sailors.

Apparently Lisbon is often compared to our city of San Francisco, CA. Lisbon even has a "golden gate" bridge in this harbor that is similar to San Francisco's golden gate bridge.

Jack loved the old parts of Lisbon with its interesting architecture and narrow streets accented by palm trees.

I like this courtyard with the building with its clay tile roof and iron balconies.

Can you picture yourself sitting here and having a glass of Portugeese wine?

This was one of the palaces that Jack toured on this trip. If you look closely you can just make out a black swan in the reflecting pool in the foreground.
A view of the city of Portugal from a lookout point. In the distance you can see several Catholic church spires. Portugal is a mainly Catholic country as is Spain
Jack took this picture of his army audit buddies checking out city attractions below. See the black cannon on the hill. This must have been an old military fortification for the city of Lisbon.
This photo is blurry but I can just make out that walkway connecting the buildings. It reminds me of walkway I saw in Florence, Italy years ago. That famous walkway in Florence is called Ponte Vechio.
Notice the tiles on this building. Lisbon has an Islamic influence from the days when Moors migrated across the Mediterranean Sea to Lisbon from Northern Africa countries like Morocco and Tunisia. Islam forbids depictions of figures so these tiles have intricate geometric designs mainly in blue. Wouldn't you love to go exploring down the narrow Lisbon street in the photo below?